


under the moon

by thunderylee



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Canon Universe, Hurt/Comfort, Infidelity, M/M, Werewolves, established bill/fleur, implied harry/ron, magical & physical violence, pre-hbp blaise, side character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-04-26
Updated: 2006-04-26
Packaged: 2019-02-08 01:05:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12853413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderylee/pseuds/thunderylee
Summary: Remus and Bill find the disregarded Slytherin in the midst of a battle where nobody knows who is fighting whom.





	under the moon

**Author's Note:**

> reposted from agck.

The other werewolves in the pack weren’t as quick to accept Bill into their underground refute as they had Remus. This was saying a lot, since Remus more or less had to bend over backwards to prove himself before he had been accepted in the first place.

“He’s not even a real werewolf!” the unspoken but widely recognized leader of the pack spat as though Bill’s presence put a bad taste in his mouth.

“He was attacked by Fenrir,” Remus said slowly, moving to stand halfway in front of the eldest Weasley in order to shield him from any unanticipated activity.

The other werewolves growled angrily at the mention of Voldemort’s resident child murderer; many of them owed their lycanthropic status to him, something which Remus had been able to use to his advantage.

Bill waved in an attempt to be polite and offered a small smile. He felt strongly out of place with his clean robes and tangle-free hair, but noticed that many of the shabby-clad men were regarding his facial scars with the tiniest bit of respect.

“He wants to help,” Remus tried again. “He’s ready to do whatever is necessary to keep Fenrir from hurting anyone else.”

There was a murmur of agreement amongst the pack, and the leader sighed reluctantly as though Remus was trying to get him to swallow a particularly nasty-tasting potion. “All right,” he said gruffly. “But he is to take leave on the full moon. If he doesn’t transform with the lot of us, he’ll most likely be killed.”

“Agreed,” said Remus, nodding. “In the meantime, we hoped that we could sit down and talk to you about strategy, along with our plans for petitioning the Ministry for more rights after this is all over.”

“I’ll drink to that,” the head werewolf replied. With a wave of his wand, a bottle of Ogden’s best and three dirty-looking glasses appeared, hovering in mid-air. He observed Bill with a smirk. “You drink, son?”

Bill folded his arms and stood to his full height. “Yes, sir,” he said briskly. “I can drink with the best of them.”

The leader nodded smugly and gestured towards one of the glasses. “Drink up, then. You’ll need this liquid courage if you plan on keeping up with us.”

~*~*~*~

Bill spent the first full moon with his wife, feeling strangely detached from his normal, married life after spending three weeks with a pack of raging werewolves in an underground hideout. It was after this night that Remus approached him with the idea that his Hogwarts’ mates had successfully carried out in his school days.

“An Animagus?” Bill repeated in awe. “Do you think I’ll be able to swing that in less than a month?”

“I’m certain you can,” Remus replied, smiling as though it were a big effort on his part. “We have to bide our time until the Order determines Voldemort’s whereabouts, so we may as well get started.”

Almost four weeks and a lot of hard work and determination later, Bill finally completed his first transformation. Remus appeared highly amused when Bill returned to his human self in fits of laughter, shaking his head at the irony of his animal counterpart.

“A [caracal](http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/cats19.jpg),” he gasped, surreptitiously touching his face to make sure his whiskers had disappeared.

“And a rather orange one at that,” Remus mused. “The ancient Egyptians worshipped felines, so I’m not the least bit surprised that their influence has affected your Animagi.”

“Don’t wolves eat cats, though?” inquired Bill. “I mean, I’m kind of large for a caracal, but I doubt I’d be able to fight off an entire pack of blood-thirsty werewolves.”

Remus held up a hand. “Hermione has been working double-time to provide enough wolfsbane potion to get us through the summer. Some of the older men won’t need it; we tend to lose our rage as we get older.”

Bill instantly fumed at the thought of Hermione taking Snape’s place as the designated potions brewer. As if she wasn’t busy enough researching whatever escapade she, Harry, and Ron were setting off to as they speak. “Bastard,” he muttered under his breath.

Remus seemed to understand to whom Bill was referring because he simply nodded and turned to look around the cave. “Well, as the accepted social members out of the lot, we’ve been nominated to replenish the food supply for the next month. Fancy a trip to the market?”

Bemused at the thought of doing something as commonplace as grocery shopping, Bill followed Remus towards the light of day and headed into the nearest village.

~*~*~*~

“I should cut my hair,” Bill thought out loud, twisting the ends of his dirty red locks in his equally as dirty fingers while Remus set about lighting the fire for supper.

“Your mum would sure appreciate that,” Remus mumbled, poking a log with his wand until it exploded in flame. “For what it’s worth, though, I like it long.”

“Really?” Bill replied. “Fleur likes it too, but it’s getting unmanageable.”

“Makes you look like a warrior,” said Remus with a grin. “All you need is a headband and a suit of armor.”

“I’d prefer a suit of leather,” Bill joked. “I would think that armor tends to get stuffy and uncomfortable, while leather melts to your body like a second skin.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Remus chuckled. “You remind me so much of Sirius, did you know?”

“No, I didn’t,” said Bill carefully, wary of the topic of Remus’ deceased friend.

Remus nodded. “Oh, yes. In fact, the first thing he said to me upon meeting you was that he wished he could pull off a fang earring at his age.”

Bill laughed out loud. “He sure was a character, that one.”

“Yes, yes he was.” Remus smiled grimly as he poked the logs again.

As the sparks reflected in Remus’ watery eyes, Bill silently vowed that he would do his best to help avenge Sirius’ death along with the untimely deaths of so many others.

~*~*~*~

On his first full moon, Bill learned to identify the other werewolves so that he would be able to know if someone was there who shouldn’t be. The potions kept them tame yet seemingly agonized, and Bill had a blast playing tag with some of the younger pups. His Animagus form was small enough that he could hide directly between Remus’ legs unnoticed, which they laughed about endlessly the next morning when Bill was once again human and Remus was recovering.

“I’m sorry to have kept you away from Fleur for so long,” Remus said quietly as the laughter dissipated. “She must be mad with worry.”

“She’ll be fine,” Bill replied dismissively. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and all that.”

Remus smiled knowingly, and Bill could tell that he was thinking of Sirius.

“What about Tonks?” Bill changed the subject abruptly, hoping to cheer up his friend. “You two seemed quite cozy at the wedding. Did anything ever come of that?”

Chuckling, Remus reached for his glass of Firewhiskey. “She’s an Auror, Bill, and I’m a werewolf who happens to be away for the summer on assignment.” He sipped his drink thoughtfully. “We agreed to wait until after this is all over to discuss the possibility of a future together.”

Bill nodded in understanding, biting his lip to keep from replying _but what if one of you doesn’t make it_? _What if Tonks follows in the path of her second cousin_?

Appearing to have heard Bill’s unspoken questions, Remus simply stated, “It’s a chance we’ll have to take.”

~*~*~*~

It was Bill who found the boy just before sundown on the next full moon. Completely unconscious and covered in debris as though someone wanted to hide him from view, Bill wouldn’t have noticed him if his slightly intensified sense of smell hadn’t led him off of the path leading back to the underground colony.

He approached the boy slowly, his wand at the ready in case it was some kind of trap. Sure enough, he sensed movement on the other side of a nearby tree and cast “ _Stupefy_!” just as the intruder went to make a move.

“Surely they couldn’t have left only one lookout,” Bill mumbled to himself, searching the seemingly vacant area for any sign of the possible others.

A barely audible groan from the ground caught his attention, and after a final sweep of the perimeter he crouched down beside the boy and carefully wiped the leaves and twigs out of his face.

“Stay away,” the boy said weakly. “I’m a werewolf.”

Bill couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “You’re in the right place then.”

The boy’s bruised and puffy eyes narrowed to focus on the man before him, widening when he took in the flaming red hair and obviously made a recognition.

“Weasley.” He spat the name along with a trickle of blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. “You’re here with Lupin and the others then? They’re coming for you after you transform. They know about the potion and think you’ll be defenseless. H-He told them if your lot won’t join forces with him, t-to kill you all.”

Bill struggled to make sense of the frenzied stuttering and frowned in response. “Who are you? What’s your name?”

“Zabini – Blaise Zabini.” The boy made to roll over on his side and ended up clutching his shoulder in pain. “He bit me on the last full moon and brought me here with them tonight. I didn’t want to come – my mother fought for me – but he won. I tried to escape, he caught me, and here I am. The big, fat, ugly one -”

“Whose side are you on?” Bill demanded, determined not to get sucked into what could be a trap.

“Yours,” Blaise said darkly. “At least, I am now.”

“How many others?” Bill asked, looking sternly into Blaise’s deep blue eyes.

“That bastard is the only werewolf,” replied Blaise. “Well, and me. The others are human. It’s _him_ you need to worry about before the rest. I doubt your lot will be able to use wands in that state.”

“No, I don’t believe they will,” Bill replied numbly. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up and medicated before the moon comes out.”

“Fuck you and the moon,” Blaise snarled. “I refuse to be defenseless against their powers. After everything – Draco – my father – _him_ -” Blaise set his face rigid and met Bill’s eyes. “I want revenge.”

“As do we,” Bill contested in what he hoped was a comforting tone. “Blaise, if you don’t take the potion -”

“I’ll be more help than any of you will,” Blaise finished for him.

Bill regarded him exasperatedly. “I don’t transform,” he said slowly. “Fenrir wasn’t a werewolf when he attacked me. I’ll owl for backup and we can hold them off -”

“There’s no time!” Blaise exploded, pointing towards the horizon with his uninjured arm. “The sun’s almost gone. There are only a few minutes before the moon comes out.” He gulped and looked positively frightened. “This is my first transformation.”

Bill swore under his breath, torn between the decision to take Blaise somewhere safe or run down to the cave to warn Remus and the others of the invasion.

Surprisingly, Blaise made the choice for him. “They left me for dead,” he said dejectedly. “I have no way to fight you if you insist on taking me with you and force-feeding me that potion.” He paused briefly. “I don’t want to hurt anyone who doesn’t deserve it.”

Bill wasted no time lifting Blaise into his arms and taking off for the cave. Remus and the others were already in the early stages of transformation; as well as – Bill belatedly realized – Blaise.

“Bill, what are you -” Remus began weakly, clutching his head.

“Tell me there’s more Wolfsbane,” Bill said quickly, lowering Blaise to an empty cot by the door. “We’re going to be attacked by Fenrir and his lot and this boy is about to transform without any precautions.”

Remus gasped and pointed towards a cabinet across the room, which had already been locked in preparation of several rowdy werewolves running around. Bill pointed his wand at it and shouted a series of unlocking spells, grateful when one of them worked and the cabinet sprung open.

Bill snatched the closest potion and returned to Blaise, fighting to place the vial between his twitching lips. The sounds of the boy swallowing were instant relief, at least until he found himself surrounded by a sea of half-transformed werewolves in his human form.

Concentrating as hard as he could, he waved his wand and opened his eyes at ground level, his vision sharper than ever. He nodded to the other wolves and abruptly turned back towards Blaise, wondering if they were going to have any problems with the newest member of their pack.

Blaise’s wolf-shaped face seemed to be distorted in pain, and his body was still twitchy as he finished sprouting hair and curled his newly canine body in the fetal position.

No longer being able to communicate with anyone outside his species (which eliminated the entire room), he nudged his nose towards Blaise’s tail in order to draw his attention to it. Bill had been fascinated with his own tail the first time he took on his Animagus form, and he thought the same realization might help make Blaise’s adjustment easier.

Blaise lifted his head and regarded his tail skeptically, raising it off the ground and back down a few times before swatting at it with his paw. He seemed to have calmed down immensely, although there was the sporadic shudder of his body every so often as Bill watched over him.

Feeling a cold nose in his shoulder, Bill turned to see Remus the werewolf staring at him with pleading eyes. He nodded towards the exit and back towards Blaise, and somehow Bill understood that Remus wanted him to keep lookout while he – Remus – would keep Blaise entertained.

Quickly yet quietly, Bill used his feline stealth to sneak outside and plant himself firmly on the trapdoor entrance to the cave. He considered back turning into a human long enough to Apparate to headquarters and tell them what was going on, but something that would only take a couple seconds could leave enough time for Fenrir and his minions to come out of hiding and attack the unprotected werewolves.

To be quite honest, he wasn’t camouflaged much with his bright orange skin reflecting the light of the full moon. Caracals had never existed in Europe, so certainly whoever was lurking in the shadows would notice a rather large and exotic cat lingering around. He wondered what they were up to.

It turned out that Bill being a cat was more convenient than anyone would have imagined. Fenrir the werewolf shot out of nowhere, his canine instincts overtaking his sadism, and Bill amused him by leading him on a chase around the clearing, all the while making as much noise as possible in order to warn his pack and any unfortunate nearby wanderers.

Bill couldn’t believe his luck when he realized he was running towards the other Death Eaters, who seemed to be frozen at the sight of Fenrir coming straight for them. Bill recognized most of them and headed in the direction of his least favorite of the lot – the snarly witch who was solely responsible for the death of Sirius Black.

_This one’s for Remus_ , he thought proudly as he scurried between her legs, immediately turning around to watch as Fenrir pounced on her and attacked her with everything he had.

A nearby Death Eater pulled out a necklace to reveal a shining silver bullet, which he ripped off and threw towards Fenrir with impeccable aim, catching him right in the mouth. But it was too late; Bellatrix Lestrange’s mangled body lay dead on the ground, directly underneath a completely still and non-breathing werewolf.

Bill heard a chorus of swears as the remaining Death Eaters turned to face him, but he had already changed back into a human and was casting spells as fast as he could think of them. One wizard was tied rather uncomfortably to a tree while the others were stunned and/or immobilized. The ones who were still awake regarded him with nasty looks while the bound wizard screamed every curse word in the book, but Bill simply grinned smugly and went to work restraining them.

Satisfied that they weren’t going anywhere, he confiscated all of their wands (including Fenrir’s) and Apparated to headquarters long enough to tell a sleepy Mrs. Weasley of his need for Aurors and the location. She didn’t even have time to fuss over his dirty appearance before he was gone again, standing guard over the unfortunate followers of Voldemort until Tonks and the others arrived.

~*~*~*~

Bill woke the next morning to the oddest sensation – someone softly petting his back and scratching behind his ears. He made to growl in irritation, but it came out as a very strangled meow. When he opened his eyes and saw a pair of orange paws in front of him, he realized he had fallen asleep as a caracal.

“Sorry, Bill,” a weak voice said from behind him. “I’m rather fond of cats, and you were purring in your sleep.”

Bill blinked and looked up into the dark blue eyes of Blaise Zabini. Yawning widely, he decided to take advantage of this situation and rolled over on his back in an obvious attempt to get the boy to pet his stomach. Laughing, Blaise obliged, and Bill purred in appreciation.

“Reaping the benefits of being a cat, I see,” Remus’ voice sounded from across the room.

Bill regarded him with a slit-eyed glance and batted at Blaise’s hand when he realized he was no longer being petted.

“By all means, stay like that as long as you’d like.” Remus crouched down to pet Bill’s head. “You saved all of our lives last night; this is the least we can do to thank you.”

“Yeah,” agreed a second voice that Bill recognized as belonging to the pack leader. “Thanks, mate. Forgive me for not petting you.”

Bill meowed and looked at Blaise pointedly.

“Although,” Remus continued, “your mother made it perfectly clear that she would like to see both you and me the minute you woke up, and she mentioned something about feeding us properly.”

Bill’s ears perked up as he heard Blaise’s stomach rumble, and instantly he wondered how long it had been since the boy had eaten. His own stomach made a fierce opinion about the offer of his mother’s cooking, and in the blink of an eye he was human again, lying rather uncomfortably on his back on the hard ground.

Blaise looked down at him and smirked. “Still want me to pet you?”

Bill pushed him away playfully and sat up, stretching his aching muscles. All that running around last night had really taken a toll on him, even if he had been one of Egypt’s most revered cats at the time. He could have done with a hot shower and a filling meal right about then.

He clapped his hands decidedly. “Let’s eat.”

Remus nodded and straightened his robes, still looking tired from his transformation. “Do you know how to Apparate, Blaise?”

Blaise nodded weakly.

“I don’t think he should,” Bill spoke up, trying not to look surprised that this small boy was at least seventeen years old. “That was his first transformation last night, and he’s still -”

“I’m right here, you know,” Blaise interrupted.

“He’s right,” said Remus. “You’re in no state to Apparate. Nor am I in any state to have you Apparate with me. Bill, would you do the honors?”

“Wait.” Blaise’s face went paler than it already was. “You want me to go to the Weasleys’ house with you? While I do appreciate everything you lot did for me last night, did you forget who I am?”

Bill narrowed his eyes. “If it wasn’t for you, we’d all be dead. And there will be others who know of your status and your escape. The safest place for you right now is with the Order.”

Remus smiled. “Regardless of your intentions, Blaise, you decided what side you were on when you tipped off Bill to the attack last night. I don’t see why anyone in that house wouldn’t welcome you with open arms.”

Bill could think of at least two, but smartly kept his mouth shut.

~*~*~*~

“What is _he_ doing here?”

Bill directly faced the wrath of his youngest brother, a little unnerved at the fact that Ron was just as tall as he was. “For your information, _he_ saved our lives last night. I’ll thank you to express a little more gratitude.”

“What do you mean?” said Harry skeptically. “How did Zabini save your life?”

“I’ll take this one,” Remus stepped in, attempting to usher the boys into another room. “It’s a rather long story, and I’m sure you and Blaise are famished.”

“I don’t want _him_ in this house,” announced Ron, stamping his foot for good measure.

“Where’s Hermione?” Bill wondered out loud, realizing that the third member of their infamous trio was missing. “Got her nose stuck in a book somewhere, does she?”

“I’ll thank _you_ to give me a little more credit that that,” a voice said from behind him. Bill turned on his heel to see Hermione leaning casually against the doorframe, smirking. “Although I am rather impressed to discover your Animagus form.”

Bill shot Remus an accusatory look. “You told them?”

“How could I not?” Remus replied with a chuckle. “Surely you don’t expect them to believe that Fenrir chased you and killed Lestrange because you were a human.”

“And you’re going straight to the Ministry with your father first thing in the morning to register,” Mrs. Weasley said firmly in a tone that was both angry and proud. “But for now, come tuck in with the others.”

Bill’s mum had produced a rather extravagant lunch for the particular time of day, even considering there were a fair amount of people at Grimmauld Place. He knew it was for their – Bill, Remus, and Blaise’s – benefit, although he didn’t see fit to mention it.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Blaise said politely when Mrs. Weasley set down an overfilled plate of food in front of him.

Mrs. Weasley beamed. “You’re welcome, dear. And do give my regards to your mother for your impeccable manners.”

Harry and Ron scowled at the mention of Mrs. Zabini, but Blaise’s face lit up. “Can I – I mean, am I allowed to owl her? I think she would want to know that I’m safe.”

“Of course,” Mrs. Weasley replied. “Is she in hiding too?”

Blaise nodded, swallowing completely before speaking. “Yes. We’ve been hiding from my father since the Azkaban breakouts last year, but they found us a little over a month ago, when Fenrir bit me.” He glanced at Bill, who smiled sympathetically. “She tried to stop them but they were too many – she didn’t even consider trying to get away until she realized that they weren’t going to kill me.”

“Why would they kill you?” Ron asked, his voice thick with cynicism. “You’re a Slytherin.”

“Ronald!” Mrs. Weasley warned.

“It’s okay,” Blaise dismissed her and turned his attention to Ron. “As much as I want to take offense, I can’t blame you for thinking that way. Just realize that not all of us want to be like our fathers.”

“Malfoy does,” Harry spat bitterly.

“Draco is dead,” Blaise said quietly.

Silence encompassed the room, and Bill noticed that Blaise looked like he was trying not to cry. Even Harry looked a little upset, and Ron was just simply astonished.

“They killed him?” Ron gasped, sounding genuinely surprised.

“Because he didn’t fulfill his duty,” Harry added in a mumble.

“Right in one,” Blaise replied, sighing forcefully. He focused his attention on his dinner before looking up at Mrs. Weasley. “May I be excused? I’m not hungry anymore.”

“Absolutely not,” Mrs. Weasley barked, shooting Harry and Ron murderous looks. “But they _will_ be quiet.”

“Sorry, Mum,” Ron said automatically, looking everywhere but at Blaise.

Harry, however, caught Blaise’s eye and frowned. “I’m not going to pretend that I forgive him for what he tried to do, but he certainly didn’t deserve to die for _not_ doing it.”

The corners of Blaise’s mouth rose in the slightest of smiles. “Thank you.”

Nobody spoke much after that, and Bill was finishing up his plate when he noticed Hermione eyeing him strangely from across the table. He started to say something, but she barely shook her head and motioned for him to follow her after dinner. He nodded slightly in response and took advantage of the hustle of people cleaning up after dinner to slip away.

Hermione didn’t speak until she had thoroughly searched the room for Extendable Ears and cast several locking charms – a few of which Bill had only heard of in Egypt – on the door.

“What’s this about?” Bill asked apprehensively. He didn’t care for the smug look on her face.

“What do you know about caracals?” she replied.

“Ancient African cats, mostly in Egypt,” he answered. “They’re still around, but not as many. They were revered by the pharaohs, as were all feline mammals.”

“Yes,” agreed Hermione, who had no doubt read up on the subject the minute she had found out. “But what do you know _about_ them?”

Bill chuckled. “They’re lazy. They don’t like to be bothered.”

“They’re very protective of their mates,” she added.

“All species are,” he countered. “Including humans.”

She shook her head and grinned. “No, Bill. The caracal will latch onto the first being in need of its help and spend the rest of its life taking care of it.” She paused. “Why haven’t you asked about Fleur yet?”

“Did something happen to her?” Bill exclaimed anxiously. “Is she all right?”

“She’s fine,” Hermione replied. “She’s at your house, waiting for you to stop by after dinner. She was informed not to come over today due to the repercussions of last night’s events.”

“Informed by whom?” he demanded.

“Me.” She narrowed her eyes. “And you might want to thank me, because if she saw what I had seen just now, your marriage might be over.”

“What are you talking about?” He stood to his entire height and towered over her.

She didn’t flinch. “I’m talking about how your caracal senses have latched onto Blaise.”

“They have not -”

“You almost attacked Ron for threatening him. You kept staring at him all through dinner, and you almost got out of your seat when he started to get upset about Malfoy.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Bill threw his hands into the air in exasperation. “I found him next to dead prior to a rampage of Death Eaters. Why wouldn’t I want to look out for him?”

“In these circumstances,” Hermione stated, sounding as though she were reciting from a textbook (and probably was), “caracals do not see gender, age, species, or relation. Its entire being becomes solely for the benefit of its mate, going as far as sacrificing itself if it comes to that point.” She fixed her eyes on his. “And that’s just what the Muggle books say. Should I enlighten you on the magical variety?”

“Please do,” Bill replied sarcastically, crossing his arms.

“Mind, body, and soul,” she said. “The magical caracal will not rest as long as its mate is in danger, and it will insist on being in its mate’s presence all the time. _As close as possible_.”

His eyes widened. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“If you think I’m saying that you’re in love with Blaise, you’re close.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Bill shook his head. “He’s _seventeen_. I may as well be in love with you.”

Hermione laughed, throwing her head back. “Thanks for that. But like I said, the caracal doesn’t see age. It very well could have been me, if I happened to be the first person you saw after your initial transformation who was in need. But it wasn’t me. It was Blaise, and you need to deal with that. Preferably now, before your wife gets suspicious.”

“What are you saying?” Bill asked, although he had a pretty good idea and just didn’t want to believe it.

“I think you know,” she said firmly. “And you’re in luck, because I seriously doubt he will be opposed to the idea. He had quite a reputation at Hogwarts until he settled down with Malfoy last year.”

“Him and Malfoy?” Bill tried to tone down the anger that was threatening to explode from within him.

Hermione simply smiled. “See? You’re jealous. And it’s not going to go away until you achieve closure. In the primal sense, that is.”

“Will you just tell me straight out what I have to do?” Bill demanded irritably.

“You have to fuck him,” she said plainly. “And he has to like it.”

Bill’s jaw dropped. “Are you _serious_?”

She nodded, looking highly amused. “But don’t worry, it won’t happen again. The whole attachment thing, that is. It only happens once – the very first time. Once you take care of it, you’re free to go back to your wife and act as though nothing happened.”

Bill lifted his hands to his face and sighed. “I must admit, the urge to harm anyone who comes near him is overwhelming. And I honestly didn’t even _think_ of Fleur until you brought it up.”

Hermione nodded again. “Your mum has decided to put Blaise in your old room. I think you two could get away with taking a well-deserved _nap_.”

Looking through his fingers, he regarded her in awe. “You’re too smart for your own good, did you know?”

She grinned. “Thank you.”

~*~*~*~

“I forgot how uncomfortable this bed was,” Bill muttered amidst tossing and turning.

“It’s fine,” Blaise said sleepily, snuggling with his pillow on the other side of the bed. “Much better than the floor, anyway.”

“They made you sleep on the floor?” Bill asked carefully.

Blaise nodded into his pillow. “For the last month. It was rather embarrassing and I don’t really care to talk about it.”

“Well, you’re safe now.” Bill squashed the thought of finding out who did that to Blaise and cursing them into oblivion. “Mum says you can stay here as long as you’d like, and I know Harry and Ron will come around eventually.”

“I hope so,” Blaise mumbled. “It would be nice to have some real friends for once.”

Bill couldn’t think of anything to say to this, so he concentrated on finding a comfortable position on the hard mattress. He was about to give up when he remembered the best sleep he had ever had was last night while in his Animagus form.

Blaise appeared to have heard the pop of magical transformation and turned to see Bill the caracal curled up on his pillow. Bill regarded him with a snort and stretched out on his back, thumping his tail against the mattress in a pointed manner.

“I suppose you want me to pet you?” Blaise said with a smirk, reaching his hand out to scratch the top of Bill’s furry head. “You’re going to have to come over here; I’m too exhausted to move.”

Bill meowed in annoyance but rolled over onto his feet and stalked across the bed towards Blaise. He started purring almost immediately when Blaise smoothed out the fur on his back and continued scratching behind his ears. Taking advantage of the close proximity, Bill rammed his head straight into Blaise’s face and sprawled out on his shoulder.

Blaise laughed and finally ran his fingers through the soft fur on Bill’s stomach. “I bet you’re comfortable now.”

Bill sniffed his chin in reply, taking care to poke his cold nose into the warm skin.

“Hey!” Blaise exclaimed lightheartedly, wiping his chin. “That was cold.”

Satisfied, Bill snuggled into Blaise’s embrace and purred louder as Blaise petted him.

“The question is,” Blaise said softly. “Would you let me do this if you were in human form?”

Bill responded by transforming and ending up halfway on top of Blaise with his head buried into the crook of his neck. “You tell me,” he said softly.

Hermione had been right; Blaise was certainly not opposed to the idea. His hand that had been petting Bill’s stomach as a caracal remained in place, absently tracing the muscles of Bill’s abdomen and almost unnoticeably shifting downward.

Bill groaned softly when Blaise’s fingers reached his waistline, to which Blaise responded with a low chuckle. Wordlessly, Bill felt his face being nudged upwards by Blaise’s shoulder, followed by a pair of persistent lips brushing his face in search of his.

Bill kissed him, gaping slightly when Blaise’s hand dipped under the waistline of his pajama pants and boldly grasped his hardening cock. Blaise took advantage of Bill’s surprise to slip his tongue through the gap, and Bill surprised himself even further by meeting it halfway with his own.

Now kissing heatedly, Bill arched into Blaise’s touch as one of his hands wandered down Blaise’s chest. He was skinny yet rigid, his heart beating fast in anticipation. He moaned into Bill’s mouth when Bill finally pressed his hand against his clothed hardness, bucking his hips upwards in an obvious plea for more.

Blaise appeared to take the initiative and rolled them over so that he was straddling Bill’s hips. Bill’s head was forcibly pushed into the pillow as his shirt was pulled over his head and Blaise’s naked torso covered his. Rough lips attacked his neck as Blaise’s hand pumped dutifully on his cock, grinding against it with his own.

“You’re so fucking hot,” Blaise murmured into his ear, squeezing particularly hard when Bill moaned at the words.

Bill couldn’t help but think about how wrong this was, but he shoved that thought towards the back of his mind. He was doing this for Fleur, so that _she_ would be the one who he would want to protect. And, most importantly, so that she would never know.

His attention returned to the boy on top of him when he felt a shift in the weight and heard an unfamiliar spell being cast. The thought that it might have been a curse hadn’t crossed his mind, even though it _was_ a Slytherin he was in bed with. It was then that Bill realized just how strong his caracal senses were, because any other time he would have jumped up and held his wand to the boy’s throat.

All thoughts of a sneak attack flew out of his head when Blaise lifted himself up and hovered over Bill’s cock, pressing the tip against his entrance. He grabbed both of Bill’s hands, placed them on his hips, and looked dead into Bill’s eyes as he said, “You can fuck me now.”

Bill wasted no time clutching onto Blaise’s hips and slamming downwards, instantly impaling his cock into the tight, lubricated warmth of Blaise’s arse. Blaise cried out immediately, but a firm bite to Bill’s collarbone told him that it wasn’t a cry of pain.

Blaise allowed Bill to set the pace, seeming perfectly content with being fucked from below. As Bill felt the heat begin to pool in his groin with each thrust, he noticed Blaise’s hand slide down between them to tug at his neglected cock. Bill instantly batted his hand away and took the rigid flesh into his own, eliciting a moan of satisfaction from Blaise as he now had full control of their rhythm.

Kissing him fiercely, Blaise slowly leant forward only to push back with such force that Bill almost came on impact. He tightened his hold on Blaise’s cock and swept his thumb around the head, swallowing Blaise’s moans when he pressed the pad of his thumb into the slit.

Blaise’s cock twitched in his hand, and Bill knew that he was going to come just before it happened. What he didn’t know was that Blaise’s arse became unbearably tight, as though its intent was to squeeze the life out of him along with this orgasm. Blaise’s groan was muffled by Bill’s shoulder while Bill had to bite his lip to keep from screaming out loud.

Looking like it took every ounce of his remaining energy to do so, Blaise dislodged himself from Bill and fell over on his back, breathless. Bill turned his head to glance at him, wondering when the overprotective feeling was going to go away. He had done what Hermione said, yet he still wanted to hold Blaise in his arms as he drifted off to sleep.

Apparently Blaise had the same idea, because he immediately rolled over and flung his arm across Bill’s chest, resting his head on his shoulder. Bill supposed it would be all right for them to take a nap this way, although he grabbed his wand and Imperturbed the door just in case.

~*~*~*~

Hermione was still in the sitting room when Bill emerged from his nap. He lingered in the doorway as she read something that must have been for pleasure due to the relentless grin on her face.

“Where is everybody?” he asked sleepily.

She jerked her head up and grinned even wider when she took in his bed hair and overall disheveled appearance. “They went to Diagon Alley.”

“Is it that time already?” Bill asked mindlessly.

“It’s mid-August.” Hermione gave him a pointed look. “You’ll notice that Harry, Ron, and I are not among them.”

“Because you lot have got it in your heads that you’re not returning to school,” he said sternly.

“Because we’re not,” said Hermione simply. “We have much more important things to do.”

“More important than _school_?” Bill feigned shock.

She eyed him warily. “Yes.

“Where are Harry and Ron then?”

“I’d assume they’re taking a nap, much like you and Blaise were.”

Bill made a face. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”

“I wish I was.” Hermione smirked. “Why do you think I know so much about caracals?”

“You mean to tell me -”

“He’s a lion,” Hermione explained. “It’s a cat thing, I guess. But I’d appreciate it if you kept that information to yourself, because he’s not about to march into the Ministry to get registered.”

“Do all feline Animagi have those magical side-effects?” Bill asked awkwardly, thinking of Professor McGonagall.

“Only the males.” She snapped her book shut and turned to Bill expectantly. “I assume you took care of your situation then?”

Bill could feel his face flush. “Yes.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“Do you still feel protective towards Blaise? Do you still want to pound anyone who threatens him? Do you still love your wife?”

Bill pondered this. “Yes to all three, I believe. I don’t understand, Hermione. You told me if I fu- er, did _that_ , then everything would go back to normal.”

“It would,” she said honestly. “If I hadn’t made it all up.”

“What?!”

Hermione grinned devilishly. “You’re welcome.”

“Are you trying to tell me -”

“Bill.” Hermione stood, looking rather intimidating despite her short height. “You fucked Blaise because you wanted to. You just needed a push.” She paused. “Besides, I seriously doubt that Fleur will have a problem with it.”

Bill frowned. “What makes you think that?”

“Because I don’t have a problem with Harry and Ron.”

He was going to ask, but then thought better of it.

She crossed her arms over her chest, signaling the end of the conversation. “So, you’re welcome then.”

Bill couldn’t think of anything to say, so he turned on his heel and headed back towards his room. Blaise was still asleep, sprawled out on the bed with the covers twisted around him, and Bill smiled at the sight as he crawled back into bed and wrapped his arms around his new lover.

Fleur didn’t need to know, he decided. Each month he would spend the night as a caracal with Remus and Blaise, and each day after he could spend like this.

Even if they couldn’t be together, they always had the full moon.


End file.
